Vanisle_BC
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True potato seed experiments

This will be my second year of playing with TPS. This year I grew some tiny potatoes from seed and also some "regular-size" (none of them large) ones, by planting the tinies I got last year.

Here's a picture of this year's tinies (all from a single seed-pod):
TPS tinies.JPG
The ones I grew to edible size this year are quite a mixture. One in particular is unusually hard - grainy or crunchy like a hard apple when raw and makes very crunchy fries. If cut too skinny they cook up more like thick potato chips - "crisps" if you like.

I've noticed that some of my "regular" potatoes never make flowers and even of the ones that do flower, very few make seed pods. Does anyone know why this is so?
Last edited by Vanisle_BC on Fri Sep 14, 2018 7:43 am, edited 1 time in total.

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!potatoes!
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had it bred out of them, I suppose. if you're going for endless asexual reproduction, saving the ability for sexual reproduction isn't worth it.

Vanisle_BC
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!potatoes! wrote:had it bred out of them, I suppose.
(the ability to flower & make potato seed, that is)
if you're going for endless asexual reproduction, saving the ability for sexual reproduction isn't worth it.
That's a thought. On the other hand Garlic is bred the same way but will make plenty of viable seed if you let it "bolt."

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!potatoes!
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some will, I suppose. many of the folks I know working with true garlic seed have to remove all the bulbils from the flowerhead (that's more asexual reproduction they're getting around) or the flowers will all abort. meaning without human labor, they'll only go the asexual reproduction route. apparently some 'families' of garlic are more likely the make true seed. the softnecks sure won't!

Vanisle_BC
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!potatoes! wrote:some will, I suppose. many of the folks I know working with true garlic seed have to remove all the bulbils from the flowerhead (that's more asexual reproduction they're getting around) or the flowers will all abort. meaning without human labor, they'll only go the asexual reproduction route. apparently some 'families' of garlic are more likely the make true seed. the softnecks sure won't!
I stopped growing softneck garlic long ago and don't remember about their life cycle. But all of my half-dozen hardneck varieties, if I let then go, reliably flower and make viable seed (by which I mean bulbils.) I don't understand what you mean about people having to remove all the bulbils to work with true garlic seed. Are you saying that if the bulbils are removed (essentially destroying the flower?) some different kind of 'true garlic seed' will then form?

(Edit) Ah, thank you. I've just been reading a little about true garlic seed, which I didn't know existed. Had never observed the existence of flowers among the bulbils. You learn something new every day - if you're lucky or observant enough!

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!potatoes!
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looks like you figured out what I was talking about. bulbils are tiny bulbs, aka asexual reproduction and not = seeds. softnecks have had even flowering (for the most part) and bulbil production bred out of them.

in some families of garlic, there are less bulbils and more true flowers, and some varieties will actually set true seed without intervention...but it's pretty rare.

Yak_NN
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Okay, stupid question inbound, I'm ready to face the shame : what makes a "true potato" true? Are there fake potatoes, or are them original, older, non-altered species? Of course, googling "true potato" results in something that isn't really instructive.

Vanisle_BC
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Yak_NN wrote: .....googling "true potato" results in something that isn't really instructive.
What, all you got was multiple hits for a rock group called True Potatoes? Just kidding, and welcome to the forum. It's about true seed, not true potatoes. To find out about it - growing potatoes from seed - google true potato seed - or better, do a search on this forum.

Vanisle_BC
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Vanisle_BC wrote: .... or better, do a search on this forum.
Well, maybe not. Google gave me a more immediately useful reference:
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible ... rowing.htm



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